Global patent development
Over the past 20 years, air transport has benefited from many technological advances that have improved efficiency, safety and the passenger experience. These developments can also be seen in the increase in patent activity. Since the beginning of the millennium, the number of patent family publications per year has increased from less than 1,100 in 2000 to more than 12,800 in 2023(Figure C2). This equals a compound annual growth rate of around 11%. In total, the patent search identified more than 123,000 patent families in the field of air transport since 2000. Around 91,400 of these were considered active at the time of this analysis.
However, it is noteworthy that patent family publications reached a preliminary peak in 2021 and have been declining since then. The challenges faced by the aviation industry in recent years, in particular due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, are likely to have contributed to this recent slowdown in patent activity. The pandemic caused a temporary massive decline in air travel and severe disruptions in complex global supply chains, resulting in shortages of key components such as semiconductors. This is most likely to have probably delayed the development and deployment of new technologies in recent years, as the consequent financial losses suffered by companies in the aviation ecosystem led to a shift in focus and resources toward surviving rather than innovating.
Overview of the four technology trends
To provide an overview of key technology trends, we analyzed and collected all patent family publications related to both to air transport technologies (such as aircraft, helicopters, drones, VTOL, etc.) and each of the four key technology trends (Human-Machine Interaction, Automation and Circularity, Sustainable Propulsion/Efficient Aircraft Turbines, Communication and Security).
Most aviation research activities are focused Communications and Security technology. Between 2000 and 2023, the number of published patent families rose from around 700 to more than 8,800. Sustainable Propulsion/Efficient Aircraft Turbines is another key research area. In this field, the number of patent families published annually has increased from around 350 to almost 3000 since 2000. Automation and recycling technologies have also become an important research area in the aviation industry, as evidenced by the increase in patent publications from only 81 in 2000 to almost 2,300 in 2023. In contrast, Human-Machine Interface technologies still play a minor role in maritime transport, with only about 700 patent family publications in 2023.
Patent growth has been highest in Automation and Circularity technologies, as shown in Figure C4 below, with an average annual annual growth rate of 16% between 2000 and 2023. Patent growth in the other technology trends has averaged around 10% per year. However, patent growth in all four technology trends has been negative in the last two years.
Patent coverage
A look at the filing authorities of patent families in air transport technologies allows insights to be gained into global filing strategies.
The third and fourth most important filing authorities are the EP and the PCT. Since 2000, there have been more than 42,000 patent filings under the European Patent Convention and more than 40,000 patent filings under the Patent Cooperation Treaty.
